“Events prompt the call: God bless America”

Taking stock of the first few months of the new Presidency of the United States, Shannay Williams, 19, a Correspondent from St. Thomas in Jamaica, looks at how the founding values of truth and liberty are faring under an extraordinarily changed landscape.

“We Hold these Truths to be Self Evident”, states one of the opening paragraphs of the Declaration of Independence of the United States of America.

Think of a recent and disturbing statement made by a major political figure.

The President of the United States (POTUS) Donald Trump comes to mind.

The truth is, I do not want to see him fail at efficiently governing the USA, because it would not only affect Americans. It would also affect my family and me. It would affect my very West Indian country. My home as I have, and will know it. I distrust him. You may understand this feeling if you are a member of one or of multiple minority groups.

Another truth is that with many of his statements, POTUS seems to be making a mockery of a vital part of the American Declaration of Independence that “…all men are created equal” (women too). The headlines are a blur, a swirl of sexist remarks, from the idea that “putting a wife to work is a dangerous thing” to the protests that erupted in response to his anti-planned parenthood beliefs. He is a stark reminder that sexism is alive but not well. The most powerful man in the US can overtly promote sexism with impunity. Until this moment, it was generally agreed in the US that all men are equal and all women are, too.

If I were to live in America under his administration, I would have some questions that I would have no response to. How did Donald Trump become president in a country built by immigrants? How did Trump become president after Obama? Was America so unready for a female president? How long will I be safe here, in the land of the free? Am I free? I am a West Indian female in a country so affected by the politics of super powers that their news breaks invade our 24 hour news cycles, from every network. Do you understand my discomfort?

Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness…such are the inalienable rights of humans as cited in the Declaration of Independence

There are some things that the annals of history will never be allowed to fall out of memory. History can’t forget Trump’s winning the presidential election because it is imprinted on our minds. We are history, and because of that the griots and other storytellers will recreate every detail for the history books that our successive generations will read. They will debate whether the American dream of the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness was suspended during the Trump administration. Literature students might contemplate whether to capitalise each of those words in relation to Trump’s capitalism, while students of politics will question whether rights are truly inalienable.

In a single event, the whole idea of the right to free speech in democracy is being pulled apart, stretched and bent to fit Trump’s lips.

My final truth is simply this: We all like the idea of rights. We all like the idea of an honest politician, if and only if he is politically correct. If he offends no one, or as few as possible, we might have forgiven the racist, sexist, classist policies, had he not been honest about the fact that his moral fabric is made of capitalism and discrimination. In a single event, the very rights that built the foundations of democracy are being compromised. In a single event, the whole world stands and prays: May God Bless America.

About me: I am a student of Morant Bay High school, Jamaica, and I am passionate about the literary and performing arts. I am aspiring to become a real estate lawyer, poet and novelist.

I am guided by the philosophy ‘Cogito Ergo Sum’, because I strongly believe that all we need to produce greatness is a mind. I believe there are no limits to greatness, not even death. I am a climate change advocate in my community, and a patriot.

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Opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of the Commonwealth Youth Programme. Articles are published in a spirit of dialogue, respect and understanding. If you disagree, why not submit a response?
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